Ventura Finds Another Perfect End to Season

When the game was on the line, Renae Hofmann stepped up for Ventura College.

Again.

Hofmann made two free throws with three seconds to play, all but assuring the Pirates of a 71-68 victory over Shasta in the women’s basketball state final Saturday night at the University of the Pacific.

Shasta’s long inbounds pass was intercepted by Shatasha Noble as time expired and the Pirates formed a dog pile on the floor, celebrating their third state title in five years.

Ventura (38-0) became the first women’s team to win two championships with perfect records.

But, as in the quarterfinals and semifinals, the top-ranked Pirates were pushed to the limit.

“I was concerned the whole game,” Coach Ned Mircetic of Ventura said. “[Shasta] came storming back.”

Ventura led, 58-47, with 7:43 to play on a layup by Jackie Rhetta, but Shasta (33-4) pulled to within 67-66 with 1:54 remaining on a basket and free throw by Ileah Jackson.

Noble increased the lead to 69-66 with two free throws at the 12-second mark before Kim Harrison’s rebound basket closed the gap to 69-68 with four seconds to play.

Harrison fouled Hofmann intentionally on the ensuing possession and the sophomore guard from Buena High answered with two free throws that touched nothing but net.

Hofmann, who was selected the tournament’s most valuable player, had the hot hand for the Pirates.

She finished with a game-high 26 points, making nine of 19 shots, including four three-point baskets.

Mircetic wanted Hofmann to shoot as often as she wished.

“Renae has had a green light [to shoot] from the time she stepped on campus,” Mircetic said.

The Pirates often tried to work the ball low to center Sandra Kaufhold, but Shasta wasn’t yielding much inside, giving Hofmann plenty of opportunities.

Kaufhold, a freshman from Germany, scored 13 hard-earned points and was selected to the all-tournament team. Noble also scored 13.

“This is why I came from Germany, just to win this,” Kaufhold quipped. “This was the last game, the last chance. You can’t fail in this game.”

The predominantly freshman Knights, ranked No. 3 in the state, led only a handful of times, the last at 29-27 with 5:05 before the half.

Reserve forward Melissa Holcomb kept the Knights in the hunt, finishing with 17 points. Harrison scored 14 points.

But Ventura was able to hold 6-foot-1 center Jennifer Kern to two points in the second half after she scored 11 points in the first 20 minutes. Kaufhold and Bryanna Norton took turns guarding Kern, who averaged a team-best 16.4 points in the regular season.

Kern led all rebounders with 11.

The Pirates shot 45.5% (25 of 55) from the field to Shasta’s 34.9% (22 of 63). Ventura won the battle under the boards, 43-33.

Mircetic, whose career record is 304-39 and who has won more state titles than any other women’s coach, had to sweat out the final three victories.

Ventura, which outscored opponents by a margin of 37.4 points before arriving in Stockton, narrowly escaped the previous two nights.

Hofmann’s clutch shooting late in the game bailed out the Pirates, 62-57, against Foothill in the semifinals on Friday and she didn’t want to let final slip away.

She remembered the heartache of losing to Sierra by a basket in the title game last year and wasn’t eager to feel like that again.

“That was motivation in itself to come out and play hard,” Hofmann said.